This disclosure relates to an information technology and computing platform for storage, retrieval, computation, processing, integration, distribution and management of asset information associated with wireless endpoint devices that are disposed on or associated with assets, including tags (e.g., RF tags, magnetic induction tags).
With the advent of the Internet of Things, enterprises and other users are increasingly focusing on acquiring information from and about their assets, and assets are increasingly deployed with technology features that provide greater intelligence, including having data storage and processing integrated into assets where they were previously absent and surrounding assets with collections of sensors and instruments that capture information relevant to the asset and its environment, such as to enable remote monitoring, remote control, and/or autonomous actions by the asset based on such information. However, the proliferation of intelligent assets presents a number of significant challenges. For example, network bandwidth may be insufficient to handle increases in volume of traffic, in particular as assets communicate with each other in machine-to-machine configurations. Also, enterprises data storage systems (such as ones using cloud platforms) may have difficulty effectively managing the input/output flow of information, the organization and storage of information, the speed at which intelligent solutions require processing, the sheer volume of information that can be stored, and the need to keep asset information and the networks over which information travels secure (such as against cyber attacks). Accordingly, a need exists for improved methods and systems for handling asset intelligence, including methods and systems for organizing the collection, storage, and management of asset information. This includes situations in which information about or used in connection with assets is handled by wireless endpoint devices that are disposed on or associated with assets, such as asset tags, including RFID tags. References to “tags” and a “tag operating system” throughout this disclosure should be understood to encompass, except where context indicates otherwise, various such wireless endpoint devices and an operating system for handling endpoint device information associated with assets.
The challenges with cloud and networking technologies also create a need for greater intelligence on the asset itself or in the local environment of the asset (referred to in some cases as the “edge” of a network). However, local or edge intelligence presents challenges of its own, as assets may not have access to adequate data storage for the information that is collected by or about them, and assets may not have access to consistent available power for computing and processing operations. Accordingly, a need also exists for improved methods and systems for capturing, storing, securing, and processing information on assets or in the local environment of assets.
There are a number of problems and challenges associated with asset management solutions that use a centralized database, such as indexed by an asset ID-based solutions. One of these problems is database complexity, in particular where data sets may arise with several large segments that are stored in different places, such as on different services or across different enterprises. Having a large amount of data about an asset is often not enough; instead, a solution needs the right data, in the right place, at the right time. That has long been the challenge in industries involving complex systems (like the aerospace industry), where plenty of data is recorded, but the parties doing the recording are quite diverse (e.g., including original part manufacturers, various subcontractors, installers (such as the airframers who install an aircraft part), operators (such as the airlines who operate the aircraft), separate maintenance and repair (MRO) organizations (such as ones that maintain or service an aircraft and its parts), and owners (such as leasing companies who own an aircraft). When it comes time to overhaul a part of a complex system, collecting the right information can be particularly burdensome, and as new information is generated there is typically no agreed-upon location to use for universal access. A need exists for solutions where the right data can be accessed at the right time and place.
Another problem with prior asset management solutions is the challenge of assuring correspondence between an asset and the data that has been collected. A party may have gone to the trouble of storing data related to an item. Others in the supply and use chain may have done the same, so potentially relevant information is stored in multiple places. After pulling all this data together, there is still the fundamental question: “Does all this information correspond to the item in my hands, or is it for a different part that looks just like this one?”
Even in cases of systems based on elaborate identification schemes (such as the metal nameplates on aircraft parts or identification numbers stamped on automobiles), establishing correspondence of information with database entries is not simple. Nameplates or stamps can be in locations that make reading the numbers difficult, and the numbers are not typically large enough, making transcription errors common. Even if the correct numbers are retrieved, correspondence with databases is never easy as long numbers are often formatted differently, or the databases are indexed with different numbering schemes. Thus, a need exists for methods and systems that assure correspondence between information and an item to which it potentially relates.
Another challenge in existing asset tracking systems where information is distributed is the complexity of deployment of information technology architecture, including centralized servers. In many asset deployments, users mark assets (such as with an identification number) and store the rest of the data about an asset in a central database. Setting up and maintaining a shared database that can be updated by multiple individuals and possibly multiple departments within an organization, as well as indexed by RFID readers so that information can be accessed in the field, requires considerable infrastructure. That same infrastructure becomes even more complex if information is to be shared outside of the organization, such as with trading partners or even with customers. Thus, a need exists for reduction of complexity and extent of infrastructure required to maintain an asset management solution.
Another challenge is with communications. When information is handled centrally, lines of communication need to be established for providing various constituencies and stakeholders with information about the asset over time. This often includes setting up a website or a centralized database (with access controls, alerting, and reports) and ensuring sufficient networking and other infrastructure to enable communications. A need exists for asset management solutions with simplified communications.
Another challenge is unreliable or intermittent network connectivity. As ubiquitous as cell phone connectivity has become, all mobile handsets store the user's contact database and calendar entries locally on the handset and synchronize with the database at regular intervals. Relying on a cloud connection for phone number lookup or other critical information is simply too unreliable. The practical reality is that most cloud computing scenarios work better when some amount of distributed local storage is periodically synchronized with the larger cloud environment. In order for a centralized database, indexed by identifiers for asset tags or other endpoint wireless devices associated with assets, to work, a reading device, such as an RFID reader, needs to be connected either to a network or to a host computer that stores the central database. If the reader-network connection is ever impaired, most operations would be forced to halt. A need exists for solutions that address unreliable or intermittent network connectivity in asset management solutions.
Another problem with existing solutions is that network operations can be too slow to support necessary operations. While raw networking speeds today are fast and getting faster, other factors, such as connection handshaking, protocol negotiation requirements, time of flight latency and ever-present network congestion all conspire to make initiating a network transfer painfully slow. In addition to the connection uptime concerns outlined above, perhaps the bigger reason for storing information like contact databases locally on the handset is that lookup over the cloud is often too slow for practical usage. A need exists for asset management solutions that allow rapid operations and decision-making regardless of the speed or capacity of available network operations.
Another problem with existing asset management solutions is the difficulty in sharing information while maintaining confidentiality. There are many examples of assets that move among many different enterprises throughout the asset's lifetime. The aerospace example described above is one good illustration. In most cases, the players tend to agree that there are benefits to be gained by sharing data about an asset, but the benefits may not be worth the risk of exposing internal corporate databases to users from other enterprises. A need exists for methods and systems that enable sharing of information while preserving confidentiality.
Another problem with existing asset management solutions is the insecurity of centralized databases. This problem extends the concept of data confidentiality. There are cases where keeping an internal database secured is not enough. Instead, the mere existence of a database is seen to be a risk, so a distributed data solution becomes mandatory. For example, in some cases security only goes so far, and having a database potentially fall into the wrong hands is perceived to be not a matter of “if” but “when.” Also, other concerns including being forced to turn over the contents of a database, such as under government order or subpoena. For example, during the era of mad cow disease, some ranchers were interested in storing birth certificates and medical histories for each animal only on the animal. One of their concerns was that under subpoena, they would have to open up the medical records for their entire herd, so it was preferable to not have that central database exist at all. A need exists for methods and systems for asset intelligence that avoid the need for a centralized database.
Another problem with existing asset management systems is asset authentication. An identification number alone is often simply inadequate to verify that an asset is authentic, even if the ID number is stored in an electronic form. Identification numbers can be copied from known-good values or ranges of values, and when placed onto counterfeit parts, it can be difficult or impossible to tell that a number has been reused. A need exists for methods and systems that provide asset authentication.
Many endpoint devices associated with assets, such as asset tags, such as RFID tags, typically contain an EPC (electronic product code or equipment production code) number, which identifies the item being tagged. This number is commonly composed of a manufacturer's ID, an identifying part number, and a serial number. The EPC number is often programmed as part of the asset tagging process so that serialization can be controlled and correlated with other identification schemes. After the EPC number is programmed, it is usually made permanent using one of the permalock methods included in the RFID protocol. However, it is an easy matter to program a new RFID tag using an EPC number copied from an existing tag, thus creating a forged identification. Forged tags can be used to create new keycards for unauthorized entry, to effect price changes at point of sale, or for any other purpose where a forged identity is useful. A need exists for methods and systems to prevent cloning and counterfeiting of asset tags.